This invention is generally directed to photocoductive imaging members, and more specifically to imaging members comprised of a supporting substrate and in contact therewith a layer that functions both as a photogenerator, and a charge transport layer. The present invention in one embodiment is directed to layered imaging members comprised of a supporting substrate and a single layer comprised of a charge transfer complex of a polysilylene, reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,551, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, and an electron acceptor, such as butyl-9-dicyanomethylenefluorene-4-carboxylate (BCMF). In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to layered imaging members comprised of a blocking layer and a single layer of the charge transfer complex.
The imaging members of the present can be selected for a number of known imaging, especially xerographic, and printing processes including electrophotographic imaging and printing processes.
The formation and development of electrostatic latent images on the imaging surfaces of photoconductive materials by electrostatic means is well known. Numerous different photoconductive members for use in xerography are known such as selenium, alloys of selenium, layered imaging members comprised of aryl amine charge transport layers, reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, and imaging members with charge transport layers comprised of polysilylenes, reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,551. The disclosures of the aforementioned patents are totally incorporated herein by reference. With the aforementioned imaging members, especially those of the '551 patent, there are selected layered imaging members with a polysilyelene transport layer. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,865, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, there are illustrated layered imaging members comprised of a photogenerating layer overcoated with an electron transport layer comprised, for example, of derivatives of 9-fluorenylidine dispersed in an inactive resin binder.
There are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,237, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, charge transfer complexes of poly-N-vinylcarbazole (PVK), and 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) for photoconductive imaging members. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,287, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, imaging members with a fluorenylidene electron transport layer dispersed in a resin binder and having incorporated therein a stabilizing amount of an aryl amine electron donating compound. Other U.S. Pat. Nos. illustrating layered imaging members include 4,772,525; 4,758,488; 4,774,159; 4,822,703; 4,839,451 and 4,917,980, the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference. In a patentability search report, the following U.S. Patents are recited: U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,246 which discloses electrophotographic materials with a noncrystalline silicon powder, see the Abstract; also note Examples 5 and 10 of this patent; in Example 5 there is disclosed dissolving in the obtained photoconductive composition 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) as a charge carrier; and a collection of polysilylene patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,544,729; 4,618,551; 4,758,488; 4,772,525; 4,774,159; 4,855,201 and 4,917,980.